IPL T20 Cricket

Mumbai Indians will take on in-form Rajasthan Royals at DY Patil stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai stunned Delhi and Kolkata IPL teams in the recent matches and will be looking forward to upset another in-form team. But Jaipur IPL under inspirational leadership of Shane Warne won 5 consecutive matches and removed the pre-tournament tag “Underdogs in IPL”. The way they decimated Chennai IPL is a warning signal for Mumbai Indians. Sachin Tendulkar once again will not play due to lack of match fitness. This match will surely entertain 50,000 Mumbai audience as both teams are in winning momentum.

Shaun Pollock and Ashish Nehra need to quickly take the top order wickets of Graeme Smith, Asnodkar and Yusuf Pathan. With Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja in middle order, Jaipur batting is looking very strong. Shane Warne needs to remove Uthappa, Bravo and Pollock otherwise these big hitters change match outcome. Both Pollock and Warne are inspirational leaders and exceptionally talented match winners. Arrival of Dominic Thornley gave major impetus to Mumbai Indians. Stadium: DY Patil Sports stadium, Mumbai. Match starts from 8 PM onwards.

Best Quote: Shane Warne is the best captain Australia never had – Ian Chappell.

IPL Statistics:

1. Rajasthan Royals was undefeated in the last 5 IPL matches.
2. Sohail Tanvir in Chennai: 4 overs; 14 runs; 6 wickets. Sterling performance.
3. Robin Uthappa is the leading run scorer for Mumbai in IPL 2008.

Interesting contests:

1. Sanath Jayasuriya Vs Sohail Tanvir: This battle may decide match outcome.
2. Battle of South Africans: Graeme Smith will take on Shaun Pollock.

Key cricketers: 1. Shaun Pollock: One man army for Mumbai. He is the best all-rounder in IPL 2008.
2. Sohail Tanvir: Best bowling figures in IPL 2008. Mumbai batsmen need to play him carefully.
3. Shane Warne: Man of the tournament and God of Jaipur IPL. It is difficult to describe in words. Real legend. Have you seen how he trapped MS Dhoni.
4. Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan, and Jadeja: Young brigade of Rajasthan is giving rousing starts.
5. Graeme Smith and Shane Watson: Consistently playing well.
6. Sanath Jayasuriya: He needs to replicate the batting heroics of Gilchrist and Sehwag.
7. Uthappa and Abhishek Nayar: They need to convert their good starts into big totals.

Verdict: Rajasthan Royals have slight edge over Mumbai Indians. But we should not underestimate Mumbai Indians at home when 50,000 vocal fans vociferously supporting them. Result of the match will depend on how Mumbai captain Shaun Pollock wrecks Jaipur top order and how Jaipur captain Shane Warne tackles Mumbai middle order big hitters like Uthappa, Bravo and Pollock.

Click here to read an interesting article on EPL and IPL in Guardian.